Our mental health system has needed to be changed drastically for a long time. Suicides and trauma statistics are just now starting to be taken seriously in educational institutions – in 2018…took long enough right? – and mental health social media organizations are booming, yet options for those struggling with suicide, such as hospitalization and hotlines, are still limited with many faults.

“I laughed, I smiled, I cried so happily. It felt like 21 years of my family’s shame had been zapped away by my magical potion of speech,” said Kelsey*, a “Speak Out!” speaker.The WINGS Foundation, located in Denver, Colorado, hosted donation-based event “Speak Out!” on Saturday April 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Hampden Hall where six adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse publicly shared their stories in front of a packed, community audience.

In my personal journey with mind obstacles, yoga was the first thing to help me in a huge way. After practicing at home with DVD’s for awhile, I took my first studio class and immediately after it, decided to become a 500 hour trauma informed teacher. In the process of teaching, I founded The Strange is Beautiful to make alternative healing options accessible.

I remember back in 2014 when I started The Strange is Beautiful, I felt like there wasn’t much mental health news that other publications were covering. Recently, I’ve noticed a spike in coverage of this beat, from the suicide of Anthony Bourdain, to Logic’s suicide awareness song, to the American Psychology Association’s letter to Trump.